How the manual was produced

In 1998, ISDB, in collaboration with WHO, embarked on a joint project to develop and publish a manual aimed at helping people start or strengthen a drug bulletin. ISDB and WHO share a commitment to promoting rational drug use and see drug bulletins as important tools in this respect. WHO has worked together with ISDB in a number of areas and has supported ISDB training schools and regional meetings, in particular enabling people working on drug bulletins in developing countries to participate. Ideas for the manual grew out of this collaboration.

The aim of the manual project was to harness the insights of those with day-to-day experience of producing independent drug bulletins. It was agreed that the best way of reflecting the diversity of drug bulletins was to involve many people working in different countries for a variety of bulletins. The process of drafting and reviewing the manual has therefore depended on the active participation of many people, mainly editors from ISDB member bulletins.

Much of the writing and reviewing had been done by September 1999, when unfortunately, work on the manual stopped. At the 2002 general assembly of ISDB in Dubrovnik, regrets were expressed that the manual had not been published and it was agreed that efforts should be made to complete the project. A manual editorial team was formed in 2003 to do that. Working in collaboration with the Department of Medicines Policy and Standards at WHO, the editorial team has brought the text up-to-date and added new sections.

The first phase of work on the manual was coordinated by Daphne Fresle (working for WHO in the unit formerly known as the Action Programme on Essential Drugs). Ellen ‘t Hoen and Catherine Hodgkin also worked on the manual during this phase.